I'll Be a Friend to Him — Jack Hyles

Tonight on the subject, I'll be a friend to him, before I speak, I hate to say this, I don't want to say it, but because several times lately I've had to say this, unless it is an emergency, I simply cannot meet with you after the service.

Dr. Towns and I must spend some time together about the book, and if it's an emergency, you be there and I'll take you, but if it can wait, I hope that you'll let it wait, and Wednesday night, I promise you, I'll take the line, no matter how many folks are out there, the line's gotten so long, we have to build a bigger building, just take care of the line outside my office door, but, so tonight, if it's an emergency, I'll take you, if it isn't, I hope that you'll wait.

Abraham as a Friend of God

I'm going to speak tonight, and I'll be a friend to him. The only person in the Bible about whom it is said he was a friend of Jesus was Abraham. David was called a man after God's own heart. It is said of John the Baptist that not a greater was born of woman than he.

It is said of Moses that he spake to God face to face as a friend, but only about Abraham did God ever say he is a friend of God. Three times in the Bible, it is said that Abraham was a friend of God.

Socrates said, friend, there is no friend, but Socrates didn't know Jesus. Those who know him sing, what a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear, what a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.

Socrates said, friend, there is no friend. Those who know him sing, Jesus is the friend you need, such a friend is he indeed, he who knoweth every tear, he can banish every fear, Jesus is the friend you need.

Socrates said, friend, there is no friend, but those who know Jesus can sing, there is no friend to me like Jesus, he my every need supplies, he not only saves and keeps me, nothing good from me denies.

Socrates said, friend, there is no friend, but those who know Jesus can sing, no one ever cared for me like Jesus, there is no friend so kind and true as he. Jesus is called in the Bible a friend of sinners.

Again the Old Testament seems to imply that he is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. He is our friend. For these twenty-eight years now, he has been my friend. There have been times when I wondered if I had any others, but he has been my friend for twenty-eight years, no longer than that, but I have been his preacher, and been preaching for him twenty-eight wonderful blessed years, and he has been such a friend.

I wish I had time tonight to stand behind this pulpit and shout to the housetops all he has done for me, my, my, my. I thought tonight, I would rather have a title, a friend of Jesus, than to have the flag, and I am glad to have the flag.

I don't guess I want the flag so much, I just want everybody else to have it, but I'd rather have the title, a friend of Jesus. And so our attention tonight is going to turn, not to his friendship to us, though we could spend hours and hours talking of that friendship, our attention tonight will be drawn to our friendship to him, as it was said of Abraham, a friend of God.

Lord Brooke was so enraptured because of his friendship with Philip Sidney, and so carried away with that friendship, that he requested that he be placed on his tombstone these words, and the request was granted, Here lies the friend of Sir Philip Sidney.

Wouldn't it be a wonderful thing to have it placed on your tombstone, Here lies a friend of God. When I was in Texas, I used to say, I want it on my tombstone to have these words written, Jack Hiles, soul winner.

That's all I'd want, just Jack Hiles, soul winner. When I moved to Indiana, I went back for a visit and dedicated a new educational building that they built after I left. I walked in the door and there was my picture, a life-size picture of me in the foyer, and a little plaque underneath the picture said, Jack Hiles, soul winner.

I want to be his friend. I want to be a soul winner, and I want to be a friend of Christ. Tonight I want you to, I want you, Jesus said, you are my friends, if you do whatsoever, I command you. Now it's very plain, it's outlined here, how I can be a friend of Jesus.

Friendship With Christ Is Shown by Obedience

Now I want you to notice first what is not said. It does not say, Jesus did not say that our friendship with him, or to him, is determined by what we do not do. He didn't say, you are my friends if you quit what I've told you to quit.

He didn't say that. He said, if you do what I've commanded you to do. He didn't say, you are my friends if you don't this and don't that. Now you understand, I'm a donor. I believe in negative preaching.

I believe in hellfire and brimstone preaching, and you know that's true. And I think it's wrong to drink, and I think it's wrong to curse, and I think it's wrong to dance, and I think it's wrong to wear many skirts, and I just won't list everything I think.

Every Sunday I like to list it all, so nobody will join this church in the false pretense. But I, but I, and I believe in, I believe in fighting sin, and as the old country preacher said, healing the dead, casting out the sick, and raising the devils.

You know I believe that. And I believe in being against things, but God knows to be a friend of Christ is not to quit everything. You can quit it all. You can quit your drinking, your carousing, your lying, your stealing, your cheating, your dancing, your wickedness, your lustful life, but you won't be a friend of Jesus because of that.

You're my friends, if you do whatsoever, I command it you. Didn't he say, um, I was hungry, and you gave me bread. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was sick, and you visited me. And they said, Lord, when were you hungry, and we gave you food.

When were you a bread, and thirsty, we gave you a drink. When were you sick, and we visited you in prison, and so forth. He said, inasmuch as you've done it, notice the word, done, on the least of these my brethren, you've done it to me.

Paul said, when he got saved, first he said, who art thou, Lord, and he got that right, and the next thing was, what wouldst thou have me do? Then he said, what would you have me do? If you're so busy doing what you ought to do, you'll quit what you ought to quit.

I think we've got it all mixed up sometimes. We say, okay, quit all this, and then after you quit all that, start this. The Bible said that if you bring forth fruit, the Lord will purge the branch that bringeth forth fruit.

The Lord will say, start some things, and that will make us quit some things. But our Lord said, you are my friends if you do, not if you quit. An English proverb said, he is my friend who grinds at my mill.

He is my friend who grinds at my mill. But not only that, being a friend of Jesus is not what we sacrifice. Some have tortured themselves and lived in monasteries to be a friend of Christ, but that's not being a friend of Christ, it's what you do that makes you his friend.

The nuns of St. Anne slept upright in their coffins, but that did not make them friends of Christ. People have shut themselves in cells and worn sackcloth, but the Franciscans and Dominicans have not found the answer, for the answer to being a friend of Christ is not in what you sacrifice, but in what you do.

It's not in what you quit, but what you do. If you want to be a friend of Christ, the Bible says, you're my friend. Jesus said, if you do whatsoever I command of you. Now, several things about this. The first place, notice it is in the linear.

Persevering in Christ's Commands

What you do. It doesn't mean that you're his friend if you do one time what he commanded. It's linear. If you do it, and do it, and do it, and do it, and do it, nobody can be a friend of Jesus who reads in the Bible he's supposed to tithe and doesn't tithe.

Nobody can be a friend of Jesus who reads in the Bible that he's supposed to be a soul winner and doesn't do it. Nobody. I don't care if he's a deacon in this church. He's not a soul winner. He's not a friend of Jesus.

You're a deacon on the board, or on the staff, or still on a platform, or sing in the choir, or sing the solos, or a preacher, or a pastor, or a missionary. You're not a friend of Christ unless you do what he said.

And his commandment to go and preach the gospel to every creature is not given to a puppeteer. It's given to every single believer. Every one of us who's been born again. Jesus said, "...verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me the works that I do, shall he do also.".

He that believeth on me. That's all of us. Not the preacher alone. Not the deacon alone. Not the evangelist alone. Not the full-time worker alone. He that believeth on me the works that I do, shall he do also.

Unless you do those works, you can't be a friend of Christ. Or you can get a DD, but you can't be his friend. You can be a pastor, but you can't be his friend. You can be a missionary, but you can't be his friend.

You can be an author, but you can't be his friend. You can be a singer, but you can't be his friend. Nowhere in the world you can be a friend of Christ by quitting anything, or achieving some position, or giving some gift, or arriving at some particular plateau.

In the Christian life, there's no way in the world you can be a friend of Christ unless you do what he said to do. You can't be a friend of Jesus unless you read your Bible, because that's doing what he said to do.

Unless you spend time in prayer, that's doing what he said to do. Unless you win folks to Christ, that's doing what he said to do. Unless you're busy getting the gospel out, that's doing what he said to do.

Unless you're giving God 10 of your income and more, that's doing what he said to do. There's no way you can be his friend unless you do what he said to do. It's a millennial. By the way, I'm glad about this.

I'm glad the Lord put it this way. That's within reach of all. Anybody can do this. Didn't say you have to reach some lofty position. The man that works out the steel mills, and God bless you fellas. I said to a young man, a young lady this last week, her tuition's being paid in our college this year by a man who works out the steel mill.

And I said to her, I said, God pity you if you do not walk worthy of what that man is paying. Those men that work out in these blast furnaces and in these steel mills and the most undesirable conditions in the world.

Did you know, fellas, you can be a friend of Christ if you'll do what the Lord said to do. I was in Japan. Maybe I've told you this. I was in Japan. Dr. Russell Anderson and I were there. I was preaching with Dr. Rice in a conference in the city auditorium in Tokyo.

And I finished preaching. It was about 12 noon Japanese time. I was sitting on the back row with Russell Anderson. And I began to weep. And he said, Dr. House, why are you crying? And I said, it just dawned on me.

It's bedtime back in heaven. And I said, I just began to think how many little boys and girls right now are on their knees beside their beds saying, dear God, bless my preacher. We need Brother House and bring him back home to us safely.

And I was thinking how many men who've worked hard all day in the steel mills of East Chicago with a grit and grime and breathe the shut of this area and have come home dead tired or standing with their Bibles open and their heads bowed saying, dear God, bless our preacher tonight and be with our preacher.

Oh, let me say, it matters not if you're a little lady that takes in ironing for a living. Well, the Jim Lyons used to say his dad and mother were in the iron and steel business. His mother took in ironing and his dad stole.

And so it does matter. And that's what you'll do. But you can be a friend of Jesus. You don't have to be pastor of First Baptist Church to be a friend of Jesus. You don't have to be an author to be a friend of Jesus.

All you have to do is just do what he says to do. Just, he said, you're my friends. If you do whatsoever I've commanded you, you may grow weary and quit. But you can't be a friend of Jesus unless you do it and do it and do it and do it.

You folks that had a Sunday school class and got a little weary and quit, you're not a friend of Jesus. You folks that used to go soul wedding and you got tired of it and quit, you're not a friend of Jesus.

You folks that had a bus route and decided you wanted to quit and grow weary, you're not a friend of Jesus. Unless you keep on and keep on and keep on and keep on. Ah, I've said it so often, the Apostle Paul said, I buffet my body every day.

Why? So he would quit that which was wrong. Why else? So he would keep on doing that which was right. Every day Paul would get up and he'd buffet his body. And he'd say, Lord, God forbid that I should become a castaway.

And day after day he kept at it and kept at it and never quit. And there in that little Mamertine prison, I can see it now, a loan about to be offered. He said, I'm ready to be offered. And he picks up his pen and he writes, I finished the course.

Oh, won't it be wonderful to be able to say I stayed at it. I didn't quit. I didn't turn back. The battles came, but I stayed in the battle. The reversals came, but I kept on going. The rough days came, but I wouldn't be defeated.

I just kept on and kept on. I want to be a friend of God. And if I'm a friend of God, I must continue to do what he commanded and do what he commanded and do what he commanded. That means in the summer slump I do it.

That means in the spring program I do it. That means in the winter time I do it. That means I go soul winning and get the job done for God and do his commandments when I feel good and when I feel bad.

When I feel, when I've just had my carrot juice or if I feel so bad because I just had a piece of pork or a cup of coffee or some other wicked, wicked thing. I, um, doesn't matter. Keep on going. Just keep on going.

You know, we have some people in this room tonight who are used to wuzzers and gunner beers and spasm folks. They've, they've, they've gotten their butts rattled. They've gone soul winning and boy, they go for a while.

After a while they peter out and run out of gas and they quit. And after a while we have a sermon and down the aisle they come and say, I'm going to keep on. But we have some people just keep on going all the time.

Just keep on going. I mean, some folks, when Brother Hand was in charge of the buses, no, Brother Lyons was in charge of the buses, they worked in the bus ministry. Brother Hand came, they quit. Some folks, when Brother Hand was here, they liked old Roly-Poly, Charlie Hand.

And, and so they worked Brother Hand. But when Dr. B .B. came, they quit. And, and some folks like Dr. B .B., handsome fella, and when this ugly fella over here came, they quit. I don't blame you for quitting, but anyway, they quit.

But some of you, boy, you like vineyard, you're going to do it for vineyard. And, but some people, when Brother Lyons was here, they just had a rush route and just kept on going, kept on going. And when Brother Lyons left and Brother Hand came, they just kept on going.

And when Brother Hand left and Brother Streeter took it over for a while, they just kept on going. And when Brother Streeter stepped aside and Dr. B .B. came, they just kept on going. And Dr. B .B. left, Brother Vineyard came, they just kept on going.

I mean, they just don't quit, they just keep on, that's the friend of Christ. Oh yes, I like old Charlie Hand. I do too, except I want to be a friend of Jesus, not just a friend of Charlie Hand. I like Brother B .B.

I like this suave, I like this patent leather shoes. Brother Vineyard didn't have any patent leather shoes. He's a, I like Brother B .B. best. Well, won't you like Jesus best and keep on serving Jesus.

There are people in this church tonight who have been here, well good night, Ed Roush has been here since 1833. And, but there are folks who have been here through the years. George Huesengate was a member of this church, joined this church the year I was born.

He's been here 27 years in this church. What are you all laughing about? But he, the year I was born, he joined this church. And one preacher came, he just followed him. Another preacher came, he followed him.

Another preacher came, he followed him. I always tell young preachers, the crowd that gets you off to the side when you first get there and try to win you, on the expense of the former pastor, you watch them.

They'll be, they won't be with you long either. Folks came when I first came here and said, Brother Hopp, we're so glad you're here. Boy, I'll tell you, we're glad you're here. This, this is what we had before.

We're glad somebody's come with some fire. And now then, somebody's come back without so much. And they're on the way. But the way you become a friend of Jesus, just keep at it. Just keep at it. You know, years ago when I first started preaching, I, and of course I'm proud of this.

That's why I tell it so much. I got a little wart there. Right, see Don? Yeah, a little wart. And, it's a wart. Years ago I was a pastor in East Texas. And I went soul winning and knocked on the doors.

We didn't have any doorbells. In fact, we didn't have many doors where I pastored. And knocked on the door. It wasn't long. Those unpainted doors. I got festered, a little festered right there, a little sore.

And it began to swell and get infected. And it became a little wart there after a while. I called it my Jesus wart because I got it out soul winning. And everybody in the neighborhood started calling me the Jesus wart.

And I'd go, knock on the door of a house. And some little girl said, Mama, the Jesus wart's here! I was a kid, preacher, 22, 23 years of age. I'd just keep on going. I tried to knock with my left hand, but it just don't do very good.

And I'd go back and knock with my right hand. And it got where it bleeds. And now I've got a scar there. And it's swollen there. It's my Jesus wart. And I wanted to have a soul winning church. And now after these 28 years, we still have a soul winning church.

It's always the same. I've often said, I want to have the kind of church here at First Baptist until when a person comes on any particular Sunday, he'll get just about what he'd get any other Sunday. Just keep on at it.

Keep on doing what the Lord said. We have some folks here. We get in the fall program. That's wonderful. We have some folks who do it when it's hot, when it's cold, when it's snow on the ground. We have some folks that'll work if the weather's just right.

If we have a big, big, big day. We have some folks that work as hard in the summertime as they do in the spring and fall. We have some folks that by snow, by sleet, by zero, by 100 degrees, it doesn't matter.

They just keep on going for God. That's the way you're His friend. You do it, you do it, you do it, you do it, you do it, you do it, you do it, you do it. We have some young folks over here. I'll preach a hot sermon on young people, young girls.

Preach a hot sermon on mini-skirts. You'll come down here and kneel at the altar and promise God you're going to wear decent length skirts. And what happens? Oh, you say, Brother Howe, it doesn't matter about the outside.

God looks on the heart. Listen, you've got bats in your belfry, rooms for rent upstairs. God looks on the heart, but lustful men look on the legs. Anybody that knows the Bible knows the Lord tells us how to dress.

But you come. But we have some young ladies over here that they just keep on dressing modestly all the time. We have some young men in this young people section here, young men around the building. I get up and I say, this parking and necking and promiscuous behavior between young men and young ladies is a endeavor.

And down the aisle they'll come and get right with God and they'll say, we're going to promise God to behave properly, no more necking and no more promiscuous behavior toward the opposite sex for us. And for a few weeks they do fine.

But then they drift away. And after a while I preach another hot sermon. But we have some young men just going to be, they're going to live right. If hell freezes over, they're just going to live right.

I'm in come hell or high water, nobody's going to tempt them. They're going to live right. We have some young ladies that they'll come down the aisle when I preach on that same subject and they'll say, Oh God, forgive me.

I'm sorry I let those wicked hands touch my pure body. I'm sorry that I let those wicked hands make me unchaste and I'm going to be bannered. And then they, for a while, but then some dirty-minded, lewd beast will come up and put his dirty hands on that which is sacred and pure for you.

And then you'll yield not to preach another sermon. But we have some young ladies over here. I mean, it's down in here. They're going to go to the altar chaste. I mean, they're going to be decent. And they're going to be honorable.

And no dirty, vile, wicked young boys are going to place his filthy hands on their body and rob them of that thing that's most precious and most holy. Why? Their heart is fixed on decency. And they're a friend of God.

They just keep on. They're in the linear tense. They just keep on and keep on and keep on. I know some folks in this room tonight, I get up and I say, You rob God, God's liable to close your car to swerve on a busy highway.

And the squeaking of brakes and the smell of rubber and the clashing of steel and the spitting of blood and the spitting of water from the radiator and the gasoline and the fire. And you'll be lying there beside the road.

And you'll be put in some hospital. God's going to take your tithe if you don't give it to Him. And you'll come down now and you'll say, I'm going to start tithing. And you'll do it for a while and then you'll poop out until the bills get a little high.

I know some people in this room are going to give the tithe. I don't care if the bills do get high. I know some folks don't have to have a sermon. Some folks that don't have to be reminded over and over again.

There's a little lady in this room tonight. God bless her. She doesn't have much money. One of our sweet senior citizens. Every month I get a sweet little love letter from her. Precious love letter. I guess I should call her name.

I don't think I will. But she writes me in a quivering handwriting and says, Brother Hiles, you're the greatest pastor in all the world. You know, I get all kinds of letters. Those are my favorite letters.

And we should read some of the others, too. But I wish they'd invent glasses that had defrosters at the top. But anyway, and she sends every month, she sends a $5 bill for the radio ministry. This is regular as the month comes around.

And I'd like to say to her tonight, prices are going up. Could you make that six from now on, please? But, I mean, it doesn't matter. She does it in the summertime. She does it in the winter. She does it when she feels good.

She does it when she feels bad. That's what's made the First Baptist Church of Hammond what it is. Not a bunch of spasmodic spurters. Have you seen that commercial on television about the rabbit and the turtle?

Huh? About the rabbit that makes the fast starts. And I like it at the end. It says the turtle gets there first and saves enough fuel to take his family out to eat. And there's a bunch of little turtles all going out to eat.

To McDonald's, of course. But that's the one. I mean, just fine. Listen, I believe in going fast. I believe in not going any faster than you can carry the message. Don't you recall the story in the Old Testament?

David's son Absalom had rebelled against David and had taken over. And they were fighting, and David had left the land. We'll study that on Wednesday night. David had left the palace and left the city of Jerusalem, went down to Mahanaim.

And David looked back and saw the dust of the battle arising, and realizing his own son was fighting against his own forces. And David's heart was broken the darkest day of his life, I think, as he looked back and saw the dust of battle arising.

And God came down and reminded David there's a heavenly army up there, and Mahanaim, the place of two camps, is what it means. And finally the battle was over, and David wanted to get the report. He wanted to get the report about the battle.

And there were two messengers. One was named Cushiah, and the other was named Ahimeaz. Cushiah was sort of a prodding kind of a fellow. He didn't break the 100-yard dash record or the mile run record.

He'd run a mile in about five minutes. Oh, Ahimeaz could run it in 3 .5, 3 .52. But so Ahimeaz, when the battle was over, Ahimeaz said, I'm going to go. I'm going to go. Let me take the message. And Cushiah said, OK.

And so Ahimeaz ran and ran. He got there first. And oh, Cushiah just prodding along like the turtle. And Ahimeaz got there, and David said, What's the message? And Ahimeaz said, Message? Message? Yeah!

What is the old man say? And Ahimeaz said, This is in the Hebrew. You won't find this in the English now. Since we have a college here, I'd like to teach a little Hebrew along if I can. And the Hebrew, Ahimeaz said, Good night.

I beat Cushiah here. You have to check the Hebrew very carefully to find that good night. But I beat Cushiah. I'm the fastest rider of all. David said, What's the message? Message? I don't have the message, but I won the race.

What matters is if you win the race, if you don't bring the message. Here comes old Cushiah. He's prodding along, going as fast as he can. But he brings the message. He brings the message. He just keeps on going and keeps on going and keeps on going and keeps on going and keeps on going.

He won't quit. And that's the kind of folks that become a friend of God. Let me ask you a question. Have you promised God you'd tithe and quit? Have you promised God you'd come to church on Wednesday night and quit?

Have you made a holy vow to God you'd be clean and decent and you'd quit? Have you made a promise to God that you'd go soul wedding and quit? Did you get on your knees here and say, Dear God, I'll find a place in the Chicago area where young boys and girls need encouragement and need to hear the gospel.

And I'll get me a bus and I'll be on the job for God. Did you join the foster club and quit? Did you join the ladies through the soul wedding and quit? Did you go to the men's soul wedding and quit? Take a Sunday school class and quit?

Take a department and quit? And get back on the job and say, By the grace of God, I'm going to be a friend of Jesus. I'm going to keep on prodding along. I'm not going to quit. I'm going to do it and do it.

Doing Whatever Christ Commands

But that isn't all. Notice this. It says in John 15, 14, Ye are my friends if you do whatsoever I command you. I like that word whatsoever. It doesn't matter. Whatever the Lord asks, you do it. Whatsoever.

No matter how little, no matter how big, you do it. Now, David was the friend of God and, of course, David did whatsoever. Don't you recall that day when the Lord came to, I mean, I'm sorry, Abraham. And the Lord said, Abraham, Yes, Lord, I want you to leave the land, your own land, and leave your family.

I want you to leave your wealth and leave your heritage. I want you to go to the first city which has foundations whose builder and ruler is God. And Abraham immediately rose up and he left all and he followed the will of God.

And one day the Lord came. Abraham! Yes, Lord. Now, I want your son. I want you to take Isaac, take him to Mount Moriah, and I want you to offer him for a sacrifice. You will check the next verse. It says he rose up early in the morning.

Now, Abraham wasn't like me. The Lord had to argue for seven months before I'd come pastor this church. He had to fuss with me for seven months before I'd come. You know why? I just didn't feel worth it to live in this beautiful, beautiful area where the gold dust filled the air and where the architecture is so pretty.

Oh, I did not realize the beauty of Indiana Harbor and the beach over here in North Hammond. I just didn't. Still have a hard time realizing it. But Abraham said, early in the morning he rose up. He took Isaac.

I'm sure if it had been me, I'd have said, but Lord, I've already left my home. I've already left my family. I've left my nation. I've given up everything. Oh, dear God, don't take Isaac. Lord, you promised me that Isaac would be the bearer of the seed and you'd bless the whole world through Isaac and his seed would be as the sand of the sea and the stars of the heavens.

Oh, God, don't take Isaac. But Abraham didn't. He didn't argue. He didn't whimper. He didn't complain. You know what? Dr. Towns, I want to pastor the largest Sunday school in the world, but I want to be the kind of servant of God where the Lord says, I want it and I want to give it to him.

Whatever it is, it doesn't matter. I mean, he said, Jack, I want it. I want to say, okay, here it is. Here it is. I want to be a friend of his. Oh, let me say whatever he wants. Give it. If he wants your job, let him have it.

If he wants your money, let him have it. If he wants your house, let him have it. If he wants you to quit your job and go to school and prepare for the ministry, do it in God's name. Give everything you have to God.

Our country is perishing for the lack of somebody to give whatsoever. Nothing too great. There's a third thing. If you read it carefully in the original Greek, and I mean this, you'll find he did it promptly.

Jesus said, he said, you're my friends if you do, and the word do means do it promptly. Do whatsoever I've commanded you. Do it right now. Abraham did it promptly. Now, what did our Lord tell the people to do?

He said, you're my friends if you do whatsoever I have told you. Now, what did he tell them or command? What did he command them? If you'll check the preceding verses, you'll find only three commands our Lord has given.

Abiding in Christ

The first one he gave is in verse 4 where he says, Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself except it abide in the vine, so no more can ye except ye abide in me. What's the first command?

You must abide in Christ. That means that, Dr. Willings, that means on Sunday morning we get up and we spend our time walking with God, and that means we come to church and abide in Christ. That means we go home on Sunday afternoon and all Sunday afternoon we live in Christ.

That means on Monday morning we get up and we're still to abide in Christ, just like we did on Sunday. And that means all day Monday and all night Monday night just walk with God and be with Him and fellowship with Him in a sweet fellowship.

That means on Tuesday and Tuesday night and Wednesday and Wednesday night and Thursday and Thursday night and Friday and Friday night and Saturday and Saturday night. That means we're to abide in Christ, live in Christ, walk with Christ.

No stranger to Him, if I'm going to be His friend, I've got to abide with Him. And this word abide here in John 15, 4 is an interesting word. It is the same root word that you find in John 14, 2. In my Father's house are many mansions.

The word mansion in John 14, 2 comes from the same word of the word abide in John 15, 4. What does it say? Mansion in me. If you want to have a mansion, abide in Christ. If you want to live it, live the happiest life in the world and live as a foretaste of heaven, now abide in Christ.

And the Lord is simply saying abide in me all the time. Let me ask you a question. How often do you pray on Monday? Huh? How much of your Bible do you read on Monday? What kind of fellowship do you have all day on Tuesday?